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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24001798">Sacrifice Play</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spindizzy/pseuds/Spindizzy'>Spindizzy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fandom: Madoka Magica [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Self-Sacrifice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:02:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24001798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spindizzy/pseuds/Spindizzy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sayaka does it herself without any prompting from Homura. [Spoilers for episode ten, unrelated major character death]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fandom: Madoka Magica [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sacrifice Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sayaka does it herself without any prompting from Homura. She has alternated between dead-eyed unconcern and manic glee for days, her soul gem darkening more and more. She still fights witches though, leaving the grief seeds where they fall until Kyoko forces them into her hand. <em>This</em> witch is one Homura has only encountered a handful of times; it's a girl that Kyoko saves sometimes and misses others, and Homura hasn't worked out why yet. The witch flings a book the size of a car at Madoka -- she fires at arrow at it, throwing the book backwards -- but the witch swoops under it, her wire-framed glasses a hole in the world -- </p>
<p>Sayaka dives in front of Madoka. </p>
<p>She's laughing like her heart is breaking, swords held out to the sides instead of trying to block, and Homura doesn't see Sayaka's soul gem break, but the laughter stops like a speaker shut off. Blood splatters across the ground and Madoka's shoes. The witch's claws stop inches away from Madoka's stomach, Sayaka caught on them.</p>
<p>Kyoko is screaming, leaping onto the witch with fire blazing through her hair, trying to reach Sayaka as though there's anything they can do. Mami is weaving nets from ribbons to trap the witch; she'll crack later, she always does when she isn't the first to die, but this hasn't happened before and Homura's not sure if she'll <em>break.</em></p>
<p>Madoka is frozen, staring at Sayaka as the witch tries to shake her off its hand and rip itself free of Mami's trap. Sayaka's head lolls back, and her swords slide from her hands, and Homura doesn't wait to see any more. She just wraps herself around Madoka and leaps out of its reach before its other hand comes down.</p>
<p>Later, she's going to flick her hair back over her shoulder and tell them that there was no way to save Sayaka anyway; her soul gem was black, which Kyubey will understand. She will tell them that the grief seed will not support five magical girls, one of them mostly gone anyway, and Kyoko will rage but she will understand. She will tell them that she was too late, that she didn't have enough magic to save Sayaka, and Mami will crack along the faultlines Homura already knows about.</p>
<p>Whatever she tells them, Madoka will shake and shake, arms tight around herself, not even aware of her tears. Homura will press grief seeds on her instead of telling her that once, lifetimes ago, she'd promised to protect her, she'd <em>promised</em>, and if she has to sacrifice every other magical girl to do it, she will.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic was originally posted 16/12/16, and my notes for it were "I think this originally started off as me trying to reconcile Revolution!Homura with Regular!Homura and also Baby!Homura with EternalSoldier!Homura and the result is... Um." It was basically me working out my feelings on what Homura's line is for protecting Madoka.</p>
<p>If you want company for crying about Madoka Magica, I'm on <a href="https://spindizzy.dreamwidth.org">Dreamwidth</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Spindilly">twitter</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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